One Moment Forgotten
by Kiba94
Summary: Before the cycles had come to a close, Tidus and Frioniel were friends. Maybe more. And in the twelfth cycle, will they ever be redeemed? AU  slightly, Shonen-ai in later chapters. Don't like, don't read, I guess. COMPLETE.
1. Chapter 1: Converse

_Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy or Square Enix. If I did, why would I be writing this? There would already be enough love for my favorite characters._

**One Moment Forgotten**

"_Don't forget me, OK?"_

_ The silverette allowed himself a small smile, ruffling those now familiar golden locks that covered ocean-blue eyes. "I promise, Tidus."_

_ And with that sad-but-happy expression on his face, the kid that Frioniel had grown to love was engulfed in darkness._

**Chapter 1 – Converse (Frioniel)**

I stretched out my arms, cramped from carrying my weapons so far. As I surveyed the area, I decided it was a good enough place to rest, and I sat down, still on guard. It was dark enough to sleep, and I was so tired that I…

"Hey!" I jolted awake in an instant, expecting manikins, the Emperor, or even Chaos himself. In my daze, I didn't realize where the voice was coming from. I brought up my head—and firmly smacked it on the person leaning above me.

"Ouch." With a lack of anything to say, I eloquently voiced the pain ringing through my head. This guy, whoever he was, had quite the hard head.

"You're…?" He wondered innocently, tilting his head. Blonde hair, blue eyes, and obviously lacking a shirt, a tanned youth stood over me, hands on his hips.

"Frioniel." He giggled at my name. "And you are?"

"I'm Tidus." Tidus. The name struck me as familiar somehow. Jecht. Tidus was Jecht's son. And if I recall correctly, a…

"Chaos." I breathed. A Chaos warrior. This harmless looking kid was a Chaos warrior, and he hadn't killed me, but he might.

"So, Frioniel…" Was he trying to distract me from my impending doom? Were there others around? "Do you have any friends?" The question was so blunt, I laughed.

"Why do you ask?"

"No one's here with you."

"Well, I'm just traveling alone for a little. I'm meeting up with my group at Lu—!" I almost gave away our position. "Up ahead."

"At the Lunar Subterrane? Yeah. Kuja already told me." So they already knew. "Aren't you lonely? You were saying something earlier. While you were sleeping."

"And what was I saying?"

He paused to contemplate. "My name. I thought you were Cloud or something."

I didn't even know this guy. Why in the world was I saying a name of someone I didn't know, much less his name?

"Look, it's been a pleasant talk, but I have to go." I started to get up, before he whacked me down, probably much harder than he meant to, judging by the worried expression on his face.

"Sorry, sorry! It's just that…I'm kind of lonely." He gestured freely, giving an apologetic look. "I mean, no one on the Chaos side is really any fun, and Cloud is kind of mad at me right now, and you know, Kefka keeps telling me to 'go back to the beach' and I'm just really really looking for someone to talk to." He took a deep breath, eyes shining, and just then, I realized how blue they were, ocean blue. Like the shore. He shook his hair out of his eyes, and shifted into a sitting position, gesturing for me to get up as well. "Look, can we talk for a little bit? I won't tell anyone. It's our little secret, OK?" He smiled expectantly, and I just didn't have the heart to say no.

And so we talked. One thing after another—blitzball, a sport he remembered playing, his father, questions about why and how things happened in our world. Granted, I didn't have a response for everything, but he was quite engaging for a "bad guy". By the time we were finished, it was already late morning. We had talked through the night.

"Sorry for wasting your time. And, uh, thanks for listening to me ramble, Frioniel." He eyed me suspiciously, as if he thought _I _had devised a plan to capture him.

"No problem, Tidus." I shot up; suddenly worried that Kuja and the others had surely made it to my allies.

"Hey, hey. Are you OK? Did I make you bored?" Suddenly, he appeared apologetic. "Did you think I set a trap for you or something? I didn't. I just wanted someone to talk to. To listen." He picked up his sword, shaking his head. "I'll…I'll be going now I guess. Sorry. Again." He tried to walk backwards so as to face me. "Bye." He tripped over his own feet; looking abashed, he shook his head again and dashed off, eyes cast downwards.

What a fascinating character. Despite my interest in him, I had to put thoughts of him aside for my allies, who must surely be in peril thanks to my blunder.


	2. Chapter 2: Ridiculous

**Chapter Two – Ridiculous (Tidus)**

"And where were you, Tidus?" I winced at Garland's question as he looked sternly down at me.

"Um…I was talking."

"With who?"

"Someone." It came out kind of quickly. He glared at me disapprovingly, as Cloud walked in.

"What's all the fuss?" He eyed me. "Tidus, what did you do?" I shuffled my feet, looking down at the ancient floor of the Old Chaos Shrine.

"I was late." Not really.

"He was fraternizing with the enemy!"

"If you already knew, why did you ask?" I pouted, crossing my arms. Garland was such a mean guy! "You guys are all boring, anyways, and you don't even like me!" I sat down, already upset. Cloud put a gloved hand on my shoulder. I glared at the ground angrily.

"You even got mad at me! And now you're trying to make it better?"

"Don't act ridiculous, Tidus." I turned towards him.

"What do you mean?"

"You're getting all worked up over nothing. It was just one time, right?" He looked gravely at me, as usual. "So don't do it again."

"Yeah, yeah." I wasn't really listening. All I wanted to do was go and be alone.

Garland put his hand on my head. "You could be a promising warrior, if only you would be more serious."

"Well, what's the fun in life if you can't even enjoy it?" I asked, swatting his hand away. In a rage, I stomped away. Really, with how happy Frioniel seemed, I think it would have been more fun to be on the Cosmos side. I didn't even like anyone on the Chaos side, save for Cloud and Terra. They were pretty cool. They're my only friends on this side, I think. Everyone always seems to be looking to make fun of me or embarrass me. Especially Kuja and Kefka. God, I hate those guys.

Kuja. Right, he's at the Lunar Subterrane. I think the Cosmos warriors are there, too. I kind of want to see how they act.

Or maybe I just want to see Frioniel again. He seemed pretty nice. And…well, I kind of wanted to talk again.

"Bark while you can, insolent fools. Your voices will be silenced by my performance!" I would recognize that silver haired genome's voice anywhere. Time to see what these guys could do.

Some blonde haired kid with a tail was standing next to a brunette, who had a Brave Blade already out. A pink haired girl, a girl with big…assets, Yuna (met her before), _Jecht,_ a short, red clothed kid and a paladin. Some guy announced he was a pirate. Shortly after, a guy with a stoic face, a long haired guy complaining about leg cramps, a guy in full armor—a Dragoon or something—and then Frioniel arrived. Kuja was already charging up those weird orbs that floated around him.

It was stupid. It was really stupid. Heck, it was ridiculous.

"Hey, stop!" I yelled, pushing Kuja down to the ground, wrestling him down. "You guys just go away! That's what you need to do, right? Go do what you need to!" I searched their faces and found confusion. "Go already! Are you stupid?" I avoided a blow from an orb, narrowly hitting the paladin. "Come on!" I pushed the pink haired girl backwards, away from Kuja.

"What…?" She looked at me incredulously, as if I was crazy. Which I probably was for trying to save them. Or was it just Yuna? Frioniel? Not my dad, for sure.

"The Chaos pawn is right. We have to get moving." The tall, immaculate man said impassively. He gestured for the others to follow, and they did—but not before the tailed one stuck his tongue out at Kuja. He ran away laughing with his friend, the guy with a cape, and together, they tackled the guy with a gunblade.

"Tsk, tsk, Tidus." Kuja narrowed his eyes. "I should have known someone as naïve as you would fall for their tricks. Yuna, is it? She's the one who you wanted to save."

"I'm not so sure myself." I stated bluntly. It was the truth. I was clueless. What had compelled me to attack my own teammate, even if I hated him? You don't attack your team.

It's just ridiculous.

_A/N: Whoever reads this, if you can list off the names of the Cosmos warriors Tidus mentions, you get an internet lollipop. Or cake._


	3. Chapter 3: Distracted By Him

**Chapter Three – Distracted By Him (Jecht)**

That kid, Frioniel. What was with him? He had a far off look on his face every so often. It was happening almost every day for the last week. I was still wondering what he was concerned about. He seemed like a nice guy, even if he was a strange guy, what with his stories of roses and stuff.

"Kid." I put my hand on his shoulder, trying to exude caring. Dunno if it worked. He still jumped a little. "You're looking out of it. What's up?"

"Uh, nothing." He answered, waving his hand in a dismissive gesture. "I'm just a little preoccupied."

"With what? Something ain't nothing, kid."

"Right, uh, well…" He looked a little dodgy for a sec there. "You know, uh, I think I'll be going. Good talking with you." He turned away, looking for all the world, busy thinking.

"Frioniel." He glanced back. "You do realize…I'm actually…ugh, I'm no good at this. You know, what are you thinking of? Home? A girl you like? A guy you gotta beat? Spill it." He put his hand to his head.

"I'm not really in the mood to talk right now. I'm sorry." His eyes were downcast.

"Right. It's a person, isn't it?"

"…" Awkward silence. "Well, sure. Think what you will."

"Someone important to you?"

"More like to you." What? "Er…you know Tidus?"

"Right, my…that crybaby." I just couldn't say "my son."

"Sure…"

"You think he's annoying?"

"Not exactly."

"Weird?"

"Yeah."

"Different. Right?"

"Pretty much. We were talking. He was…interesting."

"You do get that he's a Chaos warrior. A Chaos pawn."

"He's also your son." An equally impacting statement.

"I know."

"…It was just one talk. Why am I still thinking about him?"

"You know, he saved us. Is it about that? Do you feel like you need to repay him or something?"

"Well, I just think that...yeah. That's it."

Glad I had solved his problem, I slapped his back. "Then go talk to him. Repay him. Then come back, and fight the war with us."

As he stepped away from me, I called, "Hey, Frioniel! Tell him…uh…tell him he's…still a crybaby, huh?" I laughed heartily. "Sorry, Frioniel. I'm no good at this!"

_A/N: I know, I write a lot of these, and if you don't like these, I guess, you're not obligated to read them. But, this was kind of a wordy chapter. A lot of dialogue, I guess._

_Poor Jecht doesn't really know how to help Frioniel or compliment Tidus._


	4. Chapter 4: Eyes on Me

**Chapter Four – Eyes on Me (Tidus)**

"Tidus." I turned around, staring at Cloud. "Are you…OK?" He queried, sitting down next to me and staring over the edge of the Rift. "You seemed a little sad."

"Ah, it's nothing. I'm just bored is all!" I stretched my arms, trying to seem carefree, but honestly, I was kind of down. Kuja glowered at me every time I attempted to apologize, and when Garland shook his head at me disapprovingly, I couldn't help but feel bad. After all—I still remember—that Jecht used to do that to me all the time.

"No, Tidus, I'm serious." He stared, mako infused eyes boring into me. "You're acting different than usual. You're feeling down. I can tell." He gazed at the clouds passing underneath the castle's exterior. "You saved the Cosmos side from Kuja. Why?"

"Uh…" I couldn't really answer him, just like I couldn't answer Kuja. "You see, I had a feeling. Um, a feeling that I should help them. They just seemed like…" I didn't want to say, "Oh, they seemed like they were cool, cooler than the Chaos side." Then again, I didn't want to say, "Well, honestly Cloud, there was a guy on that side who actually listened to me, and I thought I'd repay the favor."

"Like what?" Cloud asked, snapping me back to reality.

"Oh, like they were in need of a little help from the Blitzball Ace! That's all." It was partly the truth. I lowered my eyes, looking at the dimensional rift drifting near us. "See, the thing is there's no fun in playing a game when your opponent isn't equally matched, or even better! Life isn't exciting if you haven't got the right people to play against!" Cloud only nodded.

"Well, Tidus…is it that there was someone on that side that you wanted to repay?" He got this distant look, the look that seemed to say he understood. "It's alright, Tidus. I have someone on the other side. Tifa…I wanted to say, Tidus, thanks for taking care of Tifa."

"Tifa?" I asked blankly.

"Oh, yeah, you wouldn't know her. She was…somebody precious to me. Before this started."

"Hey, how does she look?"

"Oh, she's got…" Cloud looked a little embarrassed. "She has long brown hair and a white top. Sound familiar?"

"Hey, she's the one with big boobs!" I exclaimed, which was obviously not the right answer.

"Don't insult her." He said tersely, looking away coldly.

"Hey, sorry Cloud, I didn't mean it-!"

"Tidus!" I whipped my head around to see—surprise, surprise—Frioniel heading my way. Cloud brandished his sword, a fighting glint in his eyes.

"What are you here for? Who are you?" Frioniel stopped cold in his tracks.

"Look, I don't mean any harm. I need to talk to him."

"Or set a trap. Either way works." Cloud responded taciturnly. "If you're going to fraternize with the 'enemy', not with my friend. Not with Tidus." I admit that, yes, him saying that brought a warm rush to my heart. And simultaneously, it brought me to pushing the Buster Sword aside.

"Cloud, I'll handle it. No big deal." I said, grinning cheekily at him. "After all, if he pulls a move, this ace will get out without a problem." He withdrew his sword.

"Tidus, if you get in trouble, I'll be coming back to get you." Cloud walked away, turning his head away.

"Tidus." How come the whole world had to choose this instant for me to be in the spotlight? "The thing I wanted to say…was…" I held my breath for a second. "Uh, thank you. For keeping us safe. Yeah."

I was quiet for a little bit. "Anything else?" Silence. "Well, I guess I'll say something. I've been _really_ bored the past few days. Uh, you wanna talk or something?"

We ended up talking again.

"Frioniel, why is it that…Cosmos's side seems so much happier?" I questioned, looking up at the ever-blue skies, back pressed against the grass of the Rift's grounds.

"Hm? Well-!" He pondered it for a second. "I guess it's because we're friendlier people?"

I laughed a little. "Maybe it's cause you guys are, y'know, the 'good guys'. How come I have to be on the bad guy team?" Frioniel looked at me seriously, as if he was reminded that I was a Chaos warrior.

"I don't know. The gods work in mysterious ways." He sat up. "Tidus, I probably have to be going."

"Right." I said disappointedly. "How come I don't get to be on your team?"

"Things happen. Who knows?" Frioniel winked. "You might end up on our team sometime." I grinned.

"That'd be nice."

"Tidus!" I looked at the person calling my name for about the gazillionth time.

"What?" I asked exasperatedly. "I am _so_ not in the mood to talk." Kuja floated up next to me, a smirk plastered on his face. "Oh, hello, Mr. Manthong." I buried my face in my hands. "I am not talking to _you _anymore, Kuja. I hate you. Leave me alone." He merely chuckled, choosing to lean in closer to whisper to me.

"I saw you talking with that rose loving boy."

"Who?"

"Don't be so dim. Sure, it's your nature, but-!"

"I am _not _stupid."

"Delude yourself as long as you wish. It doesn't change facts. Sure enough, though, I saw you conversing with Frioniel, that Cosmos pawn. You can't simply choose which side you're on." I grimaced. "You've been chosen for this side. For this cycle, you are once again, part of Chaos's team."

"Again? Cycle?"

"Oho, I've let my lips slip up one too many times. I won't talk of high minded things with someone as _low_ as you are. Farewell. Or rather, the opposite." He laughed annoyingly again, floating up and away from my hands. Lucky for him that he can fly, otherwise my hands would be wrapped around his throat and I'd be choking him. He thinks he's so cool. He's always like, "Oh, I'm as graceful as a swan." But really, his legs are _fat_, not to mention his neck. Whenever he's angry, you can see veins pulsing in it. It's as thick as a fat chocobo is wide. I probably wouldn't be able to wrap my hands around it! He's fat and stupid and ugly and I hate him.

That's kind of beside the point, though. Insults aside, Kuja's got something he's hiding from me. And what does he mean, "again"? Surely I haven't met anyone here before…have I?

_A/N: Tidus gets his name said about eleven times in here. That's more than usual. Does anyone think the story is moving too fast? Feels like it. Oh, yeah, thanks to StrawberryLover776 and inkie for reviewing my story. Reviews = happiness. Y'know, for nerds like me._


	5. Chapter 5: The Show Must Go On

**Chapter Five – The Show Must Go On (Kuja)**

"Oh, Garland? Did I mention," I cleared my throat, "that Tidus has been talking with that boy again? Firioniel? Frionion? Hm, names are of no importance to me." Garland looked pensive. "Well, Tidus is becoming a lot of trouble. If we don't take care of him, Tidus will simply…" I left it open ended, soaring up into the sky and away from Garland. Hohoho, poor Tidus. I was feeling rather irked by that boy the moment he joined our ranks. Or rather, our side. That blonde could never compare to my level. Neither could anyone else, not even the Warrior of Blight or whatever. I alone, was the conquering hero of this fantasy. I was Kuja, the almighty, the brave actor.

"Kuja. I challenge you!" Cloud. That other irksome brat. He seemed to enjoy protecting Tidus, even if Tidus annoyed him to no end. As if he felt a need to protect him. They were both fools. "What's your problem with Tidus, anyways?"

"What's your reason to protect him?" He was silent for a while.

"Because…I feel like he's my friend." He drew his sword. "So, Kuja. I can't have you hurting him. He's somebody close to me. My…brother." He slashed with his sword, hitting me squarely in the chest. If there was one thing about Cloud, it was that he was a heavy hitter, what, with that huge sword.

"Oho, Cloud. So you think you can just hurt your leaders like that? I'll show you how to respect higher beings!" I called several orbs around him, trapping him in a circle. As I let them explode, he grimaced in pain, trying unsuccessfully to dodge some of the detonations.

"I'm not finished yet." He charged his sword, slamming me backwards into the wall. I coughed, trying to regain my breath, countering with several more orbs.

"Hey, stop!" Tidus yelled, pushing me away from Cloud.

"Two tiresome idiots in the same place?" I feigned a laugh of surprise. "How interesting." Tidus squinted at me thoughtfully, pointing his sword at me.

"Call me what you want, but leave Cloud alone." He proclaimed heroically. I chuckled.

"So, the conquering hero returns. I always thought you belonged on that annoying side of Cosmos." I twisted my hair in my fingers. "Oh well. Pity I have to spend time with you at all. Worthless boys. I'll bring this to an end!" Tidus dodged backwards, while Cloud seethed, stepping back as well. As I summoned more orbs around me, but unfortunately, I was interrupted once again. Tidus and Cloud scurried away like the insects they were. I merely bided my time.

"Is anyone around here?" I heard. That annoying boy that was my brother.

"Yoohoo!" The brunette mime called. And…of course, who should I stumble upon but that silver headed boy.

"Be careful, Bartz, Zidane. You never know what's lurking in these parts." Firioniel or whatever his name was, continued to peruse the area.

"Well, well, well. Looks like Act II has just arrived." I cackled menacingly, descending behind Zidane. "What shall I title it? Ah, yes. The Elimination of Three Unwanted Pests."

"Kuja." He turned around, mouth curled in disdain. "So we meet again." He drew his scythes out, leaping forward with a look that could kill. The brunette duly pulled out his blade and the weaponsmaster, his trademark weapons.

"Let's beat this guy!" The mime exclaimed, jumping forward along with Zidane, both obviously eager for action.

"Be careful." Frioniel (ah, yes, that was his name) muttered, readying himself for the impending battle.

"Three against one, I think, isn't fair." I waved my hands dismissively, summoning Tidus and Cloud. They appeared grudgingly, Tidus quickly smoothing his hair when he saw the silver-haired boy.

"Frioniel!" He exclaimed, nearly rushing forwards, but catching himself. "You shouldn't be here." He proclaimed solemnly. "You shouldn't be here at all." His eyes darted back and forth from me, Cloud, and Frioniel.

"You know this dude?" Zidane asked with an air of confusion.

"I thought he was just some Chaos guy." Bartz shrugged, still ready for battle.

"Talk later, act now." Cloud grit his teeth, still wary of the trio.

"Since you all seem ready, I'll take on," I pointed gracefully at the long-haired silverette. "Tidus, Cloud, take on Bartz and Zidane."

With an uneasy look at Frioniel, Tidus charged at Bartz, while Cloud tackled Zidane. Within a few seconds, the rose-loving imbecile was defeated.

"Too easy." I turned towards the two remaining warriors—my "comrades". Tidus was eyeing Frioniel with a troubled expression, Cloud doing the same to Tidus. Cloud's mako-bright eyes searched my face, and seeing a smirk, wisely dodged my attack. Tidus, sadly (or rather, happily) didn't escape the circle of orbs I had set around them.

"However, the show must go on. Act III." I floated to the fallen youth, a malicious look forming on my face. "The Strange Disappearance of Tidus Sandson."

_A/N: Thank you again to StrawberryLover776, who reviewed again on my last chapter. Reviews are like…cake. It's amazingly awesome to have them, but you don't exactly need them. But they're awesome, don't forget._

_I feel like Kuja is really becoming an antagonist in here, when originally, it was going to be Mateus, but then I thought, "What the heck, Kuja isn't too nice to Tidus, so he can be the villain."_

_Oh, yes, if anyone was wondering, I played the Japanese version of Dissidia first, so it's kind of unnatural for me to say, "Firion" rather than "Frioniel". Also, Sandson is the last name I usually use for Tidus. I know, Tidus doesn't really have a last name, but it's kind of like calling Warrior of Light "Light" for short._

_Yes, this is going on longer than usual, and I commend anyone who's still reading. I do know for a fact that a lot of people have short attention spans when it comes to fanfiction. You're not obliged to read this, you know. Moving on…does anyone _else_ pronounce Tidus like "tie-dus" rather than "tee-dus"? I just found it unusual to call him TEEDUS because even if his name was based on "Tida" for sun, the word "Tidus" just seems like you should say, "TIEDUS"._


	6. Chapter 6: Protecting What's Right

**Chapter Six – Protecting What's Right (Cloud)**

"Don't lay a finger on him." Before I knew it, my hands were around Kuja's throat, pinning him down. He gasped for air, and I kept pushing down on him. "Don't touch him." Desperately, Kuja reached a hand out, wrapping it around my own neck. As quickly as I could, I threw him down—but not before feeling his nails rake into my cheek.

"You're weak. You're much too clingy too others." He choked out. "You're worthless." He soared into the air, coughing and hacking. "I'm still looking to annihilate you!"

"Good luck." I replied, mainly to empty space. I walked over to Tidus, glad I had saved a Potion in case something bad happened.

"Urghh. What happened?" He queried. His blue eyes got wide as I told him. "So Kuja tried to kill me? I'm part of the team!"

"Not like he cares." I answered tersely. Tidus looked down.

"I know." The blonde cast his eyes around. "F-Frioniel?" He stammered, seeing the silverette injured. He scrambled over, despite his cuts and bruises, shaking the man with all his strength. "Get up!" He nearly yelled, trying in vain to awaken his friend.

"It's alright. He's OK." I tried furtively to calm him down. "He's just injured. He'll get up." Actually, I wasn't sure. He looked pretty bad.

"Have you got another Potion?" Tidus asked, his eyes filling up with tears. Only a few leaked out, falling down his face. "I don't want him to die."

It was two days, maybe three days that they had talked to each other. And he was already so attached to him. Could it be that Tidus remembered?

"…Sorry." I responded. Tidus looked at Frioniel again, still heartbroken.

"What do we do?" He seemed to have disregarded the other two.

"We take 'em back to Cosmos. I'm sure she'll know what to do."

Suddenly, Tidus looked shy. "I've never met Cosmos before." He looked nervous, glancing around. "I don't know. Maybe you should do it."

"No. I can't carry all three of them." I summoned a Chocobo. "You gotta help."

Hesitantly, he placed Frioniel onto the chocobo, shouldering Zidane. I picked up Bartz and slung him over my shoulder, trying my best not to injure him too much.

We were on our way to see Cosmos.

_A/N: Finally got around to writing another one._


	7. Chapter 7: The Forgetful

**Chapter Seven – The Forgetful (Cosmos)**

"Cosmos." I turned to see Cloud, the warrior who had approached me before. "We need some help. Kuja attacked your side. He got Bartz, Zidane, and Frioniel."

A younger boy, one who I had not seen before, peeked out from behind the chocobo. "Hello." He ventured shyly. "My name is Tidus."

"Hello, then, Tidus." I had heard his name before. He was Jecht's son. A good person at heart, but quite mischievous, if I recall. But the one standing in front of me only looked concerned.

"Uh…" At a loss for words, he looked at Frioniel. "Is he gonna be OK?" He wrung his hands nervously. "I mean, Kuja's not _that _powerful, but like, you know." Tidus fumbled fretfully. "It's just that, he took a pretty bad hit. Oh, um, and sorry for beating up Zidane. It was just orders, you know."

"Yeah." Cloud responded. "So, can you take care of them?" Noticing his companion's anxiety, Cloud put his hand on the other's shoulder.

"Yes. They are not too badly injured." I returned, summoning Tifa to my side. Cloud began to look tense himself. "Tifa, please use your magic."

"Right." Tifa looked over Bartz and Zidane first, murmuring a Cure spell. Rubbing his head, Bartz rose, along with his friend.

"Gyahhh, we must've got beat pretty badly." Zidane looked at the scrapes on his arms.

"Yowch! You're not the one who got beat up with the huge sword!" The brunette yelped, accidentally bumping one of his bruises.

"Sorry." Cloud apologized abruptly, his eyes darting to the ground.

"Same here." Tidus said sheepishly. "Orders, you know?" Zidane glowered slightly at him, but thought better of it.

"Yeah, that's fine." The two friends chorused.

"Anyways, about Frioniel…?" The younger boy looked anxious again. "I mean…" Tifa nodded at him.

"We owe you one, don't we?" She looked at me. "Cosmos, this is the boy who took care of Kuja."

"Couldn't take care of him this time." He replied bitterly, looking at the bandages on his arms and legs.

"Yes. Thank you, though." I said graciously, trying not to pay attention to his last statement.

"Here goes." Tifa said, laying her hands on Frioniel. "Curaja." She whispered. The green light glowed brightly for a second, then faded.

Frioniel opened his eyes hesitantly. "Cosmos?" He asked.

"Yes?" I answered, leaning in slightly to hear him.

"Cosmos, is it true that there were battles before this?" Cloud looked shocked.

"Do you remember?" He questioned, shaking Frioniel. "Do you remember anything?"

"No, I just heard The Emperor talking about it." The silverette responded, looking a little confused. "What do you mean, 'remember'?"

Cloud was about to answer, but stopped when he saw me shake my head. I didn't want to let them hear about the cycles. I wanted them to stay forgetful, so there would be no misgivings. "It's nothing." Cloud said. Of course, the man looked suspicious (as did Tifa), but Tidus distracted him.

"Frioniel!" He yelled, clasping his hand and shaking it vigorously. "You're awake!" He embraced him quickly, dancing with glee. "He's awake!"

"Yeah, yeah." The genome swished his tail impatiently. "Anyways, you probably gotta beat it. I don't know. You might want to avoid that manikin patch over there." Cloud grabbed the chocobo's reins, and Tidus followed.

"See you!" Tidus called cheerfully. Frioniel waved back.

"Come on." Cloud said, mako-eyes looking back at Tifa. Bartz and Zidane, as preoccupied as they were, called out their farewells.

I had hoped that no one remembered. I had hoped Cloud was the only one.

But the look in his eyes was full of regret.

_A/N: Shoop._

_I feel obliged to write stuff here._


	8. Chapter 8: When I Fall In Love

**Chapter 8 – When I Fall in Love (Tidus)**

"Cloud?" I asked hesitatingly. We had been walking aimlessly for a few hours, silent and pondering.

"Hm?"

"Did you ever have…a feeling that something already happened? Like, veja du or whatever."

"Déjà vu." He corrected. "Well, yeah. Actually, I get that a lot." He glanced at his feet. "It's usually caused by surrounding objects of familiarity. Other people speculate it's from glitches in a reconstructed memory, or because of reincarnation."

"Geez, you sound like a dictionary."

"Well, I get questions like that a lot. From Za…Zidane."

"You were talking with him?"

"Yeah." Cloud shuffled his feet.

"So, reincarnation, huh?" I leaned back. "Isn't that like, getting a new life after you die or something?"

"Yep."

I pondered for a bit. "Do you think we were reincarnated? Like, wouldn't that be cool? To be alive again, to experience things again."

"Maybe." Cloud had gotten surprisingly terser.

"Hey, uh…Cloud?" I queried, after another long period of silence. "You ever get a feeling in your heart? As if…you were anticipating seeing…something."

"I think in your case, it's 'somebody'." He turned his mako-eyes towards me, the blue glowing brightly. "It's about Frioniel, isn't it?"

"Uh…not really."

"Don't lie. I can tell."

"OK, OK. Well, I feel like I want to see him again. Not in the way I want to see Yuna, or my old man, or you, but…"

"Something like love."

"Love?" I inquired. "Isn't that just a thing between families and couples?"

"No. You can love your friends. I loved somebody…back in…" He shook his head. "Can you keep a secret?"

"Yeah! I'm like, the best secret keeper in the world!"

"Alright." He stopped walking. "It's because…there's worlds, apart from this one."

"Oh my gosh, are you an alien?" I interrupted. "Like, what planet are you from?"

"No, I'm a human." He said irritably. "Worlds _like_ this one." Probably, I looked confused, because he sighed. "OK, you know that green place? The one with all the rocks?"

"Oh yeah!" I punched my fist into the air. "Yeah, I was beating up Sephiroth over there! Bam!" I pumped my other fist in the air.

"OK. That place was…part of my Planet."

"Your planet? Well, how did it get here if it's from your planet?"

"I don't know. What I do know is that a lot of these places belong somewhere. I remember things that aren't here, that don't exist here. Zack. Aerith. Tifa. Shinra. Do those things mean anything to you?"

"Er, no. Sorry?"

"No, that's just supposed to prove my point. That's the way this life is. We've been stuck in a sort of cycle for a long time now. This fighting is pointless because once everyone dies, it just starts all over again."

I stared, dumbfounded. "So, you know about this sort of stuff? Well—what about me?" It was a little selfish to ask, so I tried to cover up. "I mean, were we nice to each other and everything?"

"Yeah. You were OK. But you and Frioniel—that was quite the bond. You were so close to him. Even if it meant being away from your side. That's probably why..." He trailed off.

"Who's Zack?" I asked.

"He was my friend. A friend that I..." He stopped. "A friend who was dear to me. I guess you could say I loved him."

"Well, you know what? I think I love Frioniel, too." I said decisively. We stopped in front of the Chaos base. "Is that bad?"

"No. Not really." Cloud smiled just the slightest bit. "It's alright."

_A/N: No shonen-ai yet? What is this world coming to?_

_Ugh, I haven't updated this for a while because of 25 Days. I'll get back to it, sometime._

_My favorite line in here has got to be "Oh my gosh, are you an alien?" Silly Tidus._


	9. Chapter 9: It Will Be Forever

**Chapter Nine – It Will Be Forever (Frioniel)**

"What is wrong with me?" I buried my head in my hands. I wanted to see Tidus again. I wanted to have Tidus with me, to talk to him, to hear his laugh.

"What are you talking about?" Lightning asked.

"Nothing."

"So, what were you saying? Something wrong with you?" She asked, sitting down perfunctorily. I flinched, knowing she had heard me.

"I already told you. There's nothing to say."

"You seem rather conflicted." I simply looked at my hand, casting a few spells absently.

"As do you." I replied after a while. She simply shook her head, a stern look on her face.

"I hear that someone is a little too close to the enemy." Lightning stated coldly. "You. Don't get distracted. We have only one goal here. One focus." She eyed me frigidly. "Keep that in mind. Your turn to watch." The warrior strode away, almost callously in her steps.

Mentally, I was screaming. The awkwardness of the whole exchange just made it much worse than it had to be! And on top of that, I still couldn't help but think that Tidus had just ended up on the wrong side in the war. He couldn't possibly be a bad person, with his cheery personality and bright smile and…gorgeous blue eyes.

There was something infinitely deep in those eyes of his, nostalgic, sweet. And his voice was so clear, so charming and lilting.

No, I wasn't trying to sing his praises or anything. He was just kind of…adorable, I suppose.

Argh, what am I thinking? Lightning was right. I shouldn't be getting too close. It could be a trap, couldn't it? Some dirty Chaos trick.

But he genuinely seemed like he wanted to help me.

You've only known him for—what?—three days.

He seems too innocent to want to hurt anyone.

Remember, that's what you thought about some of those manikins, and then what did you get? A beating, that's what.

That's how I spent the rest of my watch—debating over who he was. Debating the truth behind that naïve smile.

The naïve smile that I knew I would think of for the rest of the night. Maybe even forever.

_A/N: ARGH I HAVEN'T HAD A CHANCE TO WRITE THIS FOR SO LONG BLLAAAARGGHHH_

_And on top of that, this chapter is so short. ;^; I'm so sad. I don't know where I'm gonna go with this story, now!_

_Guess I'll figure it out, somehow. Oh well! Thank you for the nice reviews, everyone!_


	10. Chapter 10: Take Back All My Words

**Chapter Ten – I Want To Take Back All My Words (Cloud)**

I couldn't help but think I said the wrong thing to Tidus. He seemed forever restless—and not as he usually was. He seemed serious. Grown up before his time. And certainly, very conflicted. Maybe about his feelings for Frioniel.

I didn't tell him, though. About the late nights that he had spent talking with the weaponsmaster, the words they said, the glances they exchanged, the kisses that fluttered between the two. Like star-crossed lovers, they shared every moment together. And the most horrible thing was seeing Tidus, disappearing. It nearly ripped my heart apart, seeing them, equally torn. I tried to avoid it, not wanting it to happen again. I wished I didn't say anything, though, because it seems as if the feelings carried on. I shouldn't have let him get close to Frioniel. I should have kept them apart better.

Speaking of which, I should have kept a better eye on Tidus. I seemed to have lost him.

"Tidus! Where are you?" I stepped forward, searching for him—only to find a piece of paper. A note, in Tidus's messy scrawl.

* * *

><p><em>Cloud, I know you'll be looking for me. I'm off to fight my old man. And maybe, you know, it'll help me find some answers. I'm still pretty restless, but I'm sure that once I beat Jecht, I'll be fine. Don't worry, OK?<em>

_~Tidus_

* * *

><p>Tidus. Always looking for answers in the wrong places. I shouldered my sword as usual, eyeing the landscape.<p>

"I'm off to find Frioniel." I breathed, before heading off. "Tidus better not get himself killed."

_A/N: The title of this chapter doesn't really fit, does it? ARGH, I'm so busy with school and stuff that I'm slow at updating now, and this chapter is so freaking short, to boot. URRRRRGGGHHHHHH. Oh well. I'll try my best. Please be patient with me!_

_I WILL GRANT YOU SOME SHONEN-AI IN THE NEXT CHAPTER. I SWEAR IT._


	11. Chapter 11: Come Together

**Chapter Eleven – Come Together**

Tidus hacked, eyes squinting up at his father. "Dad, take care of…Yuna when I'm gone."

Jecht shook his head, light forming in his hands. "You think I'll take care of people when you're gone? How about you take this?"

And the mighty Jecht fell, sacrificing his life for his son's. For his future.

* * *

><p>Cloud grabbed the silverette's hand, gritting his teeth. "We have to go."<p>

Frioniel complied hesitantly, his eyes darting. "Watch out for Lightning, though."

"Understood."

* * *

><p>A gasp. Awakening. And finally, Tidus came back to life, eyes flinching at the bright lights. Yuna had disappeared, replaced by Cloud and Frioniel.<p>

And before Tidus could act, Frioniel wrapped his arms around him, quietly enveloping him into a hug.

"Where's Dad?" Tidus asked blearily, resting his head against Frioniel's shoulder.

Cloud shook his head, eyes lowered in sadness. "He's gone."

Tidus understood fully, and his eyes brimmed with tears. "No way…"

Frioniel comforted him as well as he could, patting the blonde's head. "We have to keep moving, Tidus, or the manikins will get us. You know that." He helped the younger one to his feet, gazing at those blue, blue eyes.

The impulse was far too much, and the silverette leaned forward into a kiss.

* * *

><p><em>AN: BALLS. I WILL WRITE ANOTHER CHAPTER TONIGHT, I SWEAR IT. UPON TIDUS'S LIFE._


	12. Chapter 12: A Kiss to Seal It All

**Chapter Twelve – A Kiss to Seal It All (Tidus)**

When his lips touched mine, it was as if the world had exploded into color. His mouth seemed to fit on mine, as if he was meant to be kissing me from now until forever.

And when he pulled back, I missed the feel of his mouth, so much that I pulled him back.

So this is how it was to be in love.

_A/N: I'M SO BAD AT UPDATING. FORGIVENESS, I BEG OF YOU, MY READERS._

_I will finish this, I swear._


	13. Chapter 13: The End

**Chapter Thirteen: The End**

Kain caught up to Frioniel.

The Emperor finally got Tidus.

And eventually, the manikins had overrun the last of the Cosmos warriors.

That was the end.

* * *

><p>And this is the beginning.<p>

* * *

><p>"Thanks! You really saved me back there, uh…" The blonde's eyes stared down at the rose that seemed so out of place in the silver haired warrior's hand. "Um…Rosebud!" He chirruped cheerfully.<p>

"Rosebud?" Frioniel couldn't help but be endeared towards the blue-eyed teen, who was now doing cartwheels around him. "Really, it's no problem. I mean, you have to protect your friends, right?"

"Friends?" Tidus asked, trying to walk on his hands. "Really? For real?" His eyes shone happily.

"Well, er…you just seemed like someone I've known for a long time." And Frioniel reached forward to ruffle blonde locks, a nostalgia seeming to bubble up from inside of him.

"Your name…it's Tidus, isn't it?"

"And you're Frioniel! Uh...right?"

Both couldn't seem to find the words to explain the names they had pulled from thin air. "OK, Rosebud. Like you said, we're friends!" Tidus affirmed, brushing his worries away with an exuberant hug.

Friends.

Maybe more than that.

_A/N: ARGHHHH OPEN ENDINGS AND ANTI-CLIMATIC STUFF BUT I HAD TO GET THIS DONE SO I'M SORRY TO EVERYONE WHO THOUGHT I WAS ACTUALLY GOING TO DO A GOOD JOB ON THIS. I'll write a better fanfic to make up for it. I think this is only my second finished chapter fanfic…depressing. But, thanks for sticking with this _extremely_ flawed story. Many thanks! Much 210 love to all!_


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